


Nature vs Nurture

by Snow_Leopard_777



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Batdad, Damian is one year older than her, Felinette endgame, Mari is SMART and BAMF, Mendeleiev is best teacher mom, and languages, biodad au, just science, no time for boys
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-26
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:42:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22911157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snow_Leopard_777/pseuds/Snow_Leopard_777
Summary: Marinette has known for a while that Tom Dupain is not her biological father. The evidence is simply not there to support it, though she still loves him. When Marinette puts aside personal relationships in favor of learning and reearning the money she looses making things for her classmates, it takes her a while to pay enough attention to the new girl to know that she's lying. Two months later, her parents are sending her away, claiming that her father could help straighten her out. The only adult in Paris left on her side is her science teacher, Madame Mendeleiev, and only a handful of other students.
Comments: 167
Kudos: 1034





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> TO MY LOVELY READERS: I have a quick statement to make about the Lila commenter. I actually like her. I see her commenting on my stories as a way to improve. I see role players everywhere on here, and none of them get the hate that she does (as far as I have seen). I believe that this is mainly because she is one of the only people brave enough to take on the challenge of writing from the perspective of a "villain" and I respect her for that. Her comments point out flaws in a story, or at least they do in mine, and it helps me to be able to better portray her character. Please do not leave any hate comments about/towards her on my fics. If you want to say something to her, find her somewhere else. I can and will chew you out, report you, and possibly even delete the comment. I had a problem with a reader doing that last night, and I was appalled at what they were saying. They didn't comment directly on Lila's comment, thank the goddess, but it was still a highly targeted attack. I don't know if Lila reads the replies to her comments or not, but I made sure to apologise to her for what they said, even if she never reads either of them. Even though she's anonymous, it is still a person on the other side of that screen, and targeted attacks like that are still considered cyber bullying. That is not okay. If you see anyone leaving hate comments AT ALL, I implore you, please report them. 
> 
> Okay, notes for the story:
> 
> Marinette isn't crushing on Adrien nearly as hard as she did in the show as her attention gets diverted from him fairly quickly by life (and Madame Mendeleiev). She has too many questions to stalk him and fall harder than a mild crush, and goes on a science frenzy because she learns just how much she can apply it to her life and careers, meaning her crush fades as she spends next to no time with him or watching him. She's simply too busy, and so doesn't put up a fuss when she sees what appears to be Alya trying to make friends with the new girl and moves to the back without comment. Then she has languages… Look guys, I love to learn new languages, or just skills in general. I once very redundantly cussed a kid out because I called them the same phrase over and over again. While it was creative, at first, that creativity starts to fade when you're mad enough to repeat it not only in English, but Spanish, Italian, and French. While they didn't know what I was saying beyond the first go round, I knew what I was saying. So I have an obsession with language, especially being able to cuss in said language. That same obsession applies to science. My sister passed biology five years after I took it because she called me on video chat every night and asked for help. I love punnett squares. And chemistry? She hasn't taken it yet, but the labs. Oh my goddess the labs. My teacher accidently taught me how to get away with murder. And balancing equations was so much fun… I'm gonna stop my rambling now… I feel confident enough that my sister will never see this to say that Marinette is basically me- without ever actually dating in a toxic relationship.

Marinette had known for well over a year that Tom Dupain was not her biological father. She had none of his features, nothing from his mother or his father. Her hair was black, not brown. Her eyes were blue rather than brown or gray, and she was short. Her grandfather was short, yes, but she didn't know that until she was thirteen, and her mother was short as well. She had once stayed after school to ask Madame Mendeleiev about it when they covered genetics. The woman was surprised, but tried to explain as gently as she could that genetics were a funny thing. She could be fully adopted, or she could be Sabine's daughter and have a different father than the one that raised her. 

Marinette, twelve years old, freshly named Ladybug, confronted her parents that night. Her mother brushed her off, simply telling her daughter that genetics were a funny thing, using Alix Kubdel as an example. Marinette added that information to her mental file and didn't bring it up again. Though that did not mean she forgot. No, she simply continued to watch. The only things that would point to Tom being her father was her strength and clumsiness, though neither of those things were genetic, more by-products of living in a bakery and constantly stressing out. She went as far as to have Madame Mendeleiev teach her more in-depth about genetics after school, as well as doing her own research into the subject. Alix's height, or lack thereof, could very easily be explained away as a mutation of genes. However, there was nothing to support Tom being her biological father.

To be frank, Marinette would not think less of her papa if he were not her birth father. In fact, she would think more, as the man stood up and cared for her as though she were his own. But after she learned all she could about genetics, Marinette turned her attention to physics, once again doing her own research and staying with Madame Mendeleiev at least twice a week after school. She was amazed at how much learning physics and memorizing angles helped not only with being Ladybug, but with designing and balancing. 

She barely noticed when the new girl came to school. She became so busy with commissions and learning as much as she could with science, switching to chemistry once getting a good grasp on physics, that it took several months for her to realize the new girl was lying to everyone. She spoke up immediately, quickly noticing the expression of disappointment on her crush's face. What? Was the girl a pathological liar? Did everyone already know and agree not to call her out on it? No, several of her classmates had stars in their eyes.

The girl quickly excused herself to the bathroom and the class quickly turned on Marinette. "Why did you accuse her of lying! She's been here for months! She's  _ best friends _ with  _ Ladybug _ !"

Marinette stared at Alya. "Really? What proof do you have?"

Alya glared at her friend. "Proof? What proof do you have that she's not? Prove to me that she's lying."

Marinette incredulously looked at her classmates. "Has Ladybug ever mentioned having a best friend from  _ Italy? _ She won't even let her partner know who she is! Why would she be in Italy in the first place? Wouldn't a Parisian hero saving the daughter of an Italian diplomat make international news?" She pulled out her phone, quickly googling Lila Rossi. "Look! The only results for her name are on the Ladyblog and her social media!"

Alya scoffed. "Girl, stop acting so jealous! It's not her fault she's so much cooler than you!  _ She _ doesn't spend most of her time in tutoring or her room for independent study and designing!"

"Fine! When you get sued by people she lied about on  _ your blog _ and you  _ all _ get your hopes shattered by her lies, don't come crying to me!"

"Like you have time for us anyways! You haven't even shown up to anything Lila's invited you to!"

"How was she supposed to invite me? She doesn't have my phone number! I barely even know her name!"

"Maybe you'd know your classmates,  _ class president _ , if you'd stand still for a second and spend some more time with us! We don't ever see you outside of school without you being busy or babysitting the twins and Chris for me and Nino!"

Marinette glared at the girl, not noticing Alix having her phone out. "Then maybe you should stop calling me your friend. Stop asking me for free clothes, as that makes me take on more commissions to make up for the money I lose. Stop asking me to be a free babysitter so you can go on dates. I know good and well that you get paid to babysit the twins every time and you use those payments for your phone and to pay for dates with Nino rather than pay me for  _ anything _ I do for you. In fact, only four of you have  _ ever _ paid me for something!"

Alya gasped. "I pay you! How many times have I tried to help you confess and you screw it up!"

Marinette looked down her nose, well, as much as she could when she was shorter than the other girl. "How many times have I said no to your schemes? It wasn't that important to me. I have more important things to do with my time than date. I'm sorry my future  _ actually _ means something to me."

"Then you won't mind me telling Adrien that you have a crush on him!"

Marinette shrugged. "You just did. It's not the end of the world. He isn't even interested in me."

She walked.out of the cafeteria, her head held high. She hadn't expected Adrien to chase her down after she left, though.

"Mari! Do you really like me like that?" Adrien asked, placing his hand on her shoulder with what he hopes was a charming smile.

Marinette simply raised an eyebrow. "So what if I do? You don't like me, and I have no time for you."

"Well, I was just hoping you would do me a favor? I don't want Lila to be akumatized again, so could you maybe keep from exposing her?"

Marinette was baffled. "You want me to aid a liar in manipulating our classmates? The very same classmates I vowed to do my best to help in every way I can? The classmates that I swore to that I would protect to the best of my ability? The class that looks to me to make certain they get properly taken care of?"

"It sounds really bad when you phrase it like that. But Lila's been doing this for two months now and she hasn't hurt anyone. Isn't it enough that we know?"

Marinette gave Adrien a cold glare, colder than his father could ever hope to muster. "You're just as bad as she is. Have a nice day, Agreste." She went to the bathroom before returning to class, not surprised to see the liar still in there.

"You're Marinette, right? I'm afraid we got off on the wrong foot. I mean, it was wrong of me to tell the others that I was inviting you when I wasn't, but I simply thought you were too busy to hang out with us!" The girl gave a sickly sweet grin and held her hand out to Marinette.

Marinette stared blankly at her. "I am not a fool. You lied multiple times about a multitude of things. Fool me once, shame on you. You haven't managed to fool me even once yet. But there is shame on my classmates for constantly being fooled by your lies."

Lila Rossi's smile contorted into a snarl. "If you aren't with me, then you're obviously against me. And that means I'll have to take everything away from you. Your friends, your little designing hobby… I wonder how hard it will be to turn your parents against you?"

Marinette continued to stare at the girl, expression unchanged. "If you turn my so-called friends against me, that means they aren't my friends, never were in the first place. I was alone before Alya moved here, I've been waiting on everyone to abandon me again. Good luck with taking designing away from me. I have a backup career, of course, and I can always continue to design my own clothes. If my parents turn against me, then they don't know me as well as I thought they did."

Lila glared at the class president. Why weren't her usual threats working! "Surely you don't want to be all on your own?"

"It hasn't bothered me since I was four, I don't know why it would begin to bother me now."

"This school calls you a princess. Princess Diana was killed."

"Darling, this isn't a fairytale. I'm no helpless princess, and you aren't a fierce dragon. I have no knight in shining armor coming my way." Marinette bowed her head to the other girl before sweeping out of the bathroom, walking calmly to Madame Mendeleiev's class. Being the first in the class, Marinette was easily able to talk to her teacher- never noticing the short girl rollerblading behind her, recording each confrontation.

"Madame Mendeleiev?" The teacher looked up from her book. "I was just threatened by the new girl, Lila Rossi. I was wondering if you could keep an eye out for her trying to frame me for something?"

Mendeleiev looked at her not-so-secret favorite student. "Of course. Will you require anything else?"

"No, Madame. I can simply do my homework and turn it in right after school. I refuse to let a petty liar affect my performance."

Marinette went to her seat in the back, pulling out her tablet. She decided to pull up Duolingo and work on her English a bit before class. She would prefer to continue working on Arabic, though she didn't have long before class was due to start and she needed to keep her edges honed with the languages she did know.

It took two-and-a-half weeks for Lila's threats to have any impact on Marinette. When Miracle Queen was akumatized, Chat Noir refused to help, informing Ladybug that they were soulmates and he would wait for her to come to her senses before helping her again. Ladybug left him in the Seine, asking the Guardian if he could stand at her side. He joined her on the battlefield, the two of them being the last two eligible people to fight against Hawkmoth and Mayura with Chat Noir throwing yet another hissy fit beneath the water 

_ "Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Promise me one thing." _

_ "Of course, Master." _

_ "No matter what happens today, take Chat Noir's Miraculous away from him and find someone you can trust, more than one person, test them, make a team. You need allies, you cannot continue to face Hawkmoth and Mayura on your own." _

_ "Yes, Master. I'm sorry that I have to ask this of you." _

_ Fu smiled gently at his apprentice. She was shaping up to be a wonderful young woman _ . 

When Master Fu had said no matter what happened, Marinette was  _ not _ expecting this. Master Fu was holding a rapidly deteriorating shield around them. "It is time."

"Master, no! I'll figure it out! There has to be something I can use this for!" Marinette felt true desperation. She knew what her Master was thinking. The other team had managed to get the Miracle Box from them. "Please, just give me more time!" She begged.

"There is no more time." The Guardian lowered his shield, then detransformed and took off the turtle bracelet. "Wayzz, I'm sorry to say that I reject you, old friend. The bracelet was gently placed in Ladybug's hand, the Master closing her hand around it right before his own started to dissolve. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng," he made sure to keep his voice too low for Hawkmoth or his allies to hear, "I pass Guardianship of the Miraculous on to you. You are the next Guardian. Protect the Miraculi with your life." The man hugged her, continuing to dissolve as the Miraculi that had been removed by someone other than a guardian from the box flew back in it and the box itself moved to Ladybug's hands. Hawkmoth and Mayura still had their Miraculous, the black cat was still with Chat Noir, and Marinette herself held the Turtle and Ladybug. She slowly slipped Wayzz's miraculous onto her wrist. The kwami looked at her, tears in both their eyes as dust swirled around them in the wind. Her yo-yo whipped out, breaking the necklace Miracle Queen wore. Chloè fell to the ground, a horrified expression on her face when she saw Ladybug in tears. Hawkmoth and Mayura vanished as she cast her Miracle Cure. She hopefully looked to the side, but Master Fu did not return. The only thing left of him was a key lying on the ground.

She slowly moved forward and put her hand on a distraught Chloè's shoulder. "I don't blame you for what Miracle Queen did. Hawkmoth  _ will _ pay for what he has done. Chloè, you are an amazing girl. You've been trying _ so _ hard. You know I won't give you the Miraculous back not because you don't deserve it, but because of the danger it would put you and your family in. Don't let petty bullies bring you down so much. Lila Rossi is a liar. You are not getting replaced as Queen Bee, especially not by someone she chooses. If I find out how to change the way the Miraculous makes you look, I'll gladly recruit you before anyone else. You, at least, I know I can rely upon. But I cannot put you in danger for my needs."

Tears streamed down Chloè's face as she hugged the heroine. "Get a better partner than Chat Noir, someone who actually deserves you. You can't fight alone, no matter how strong you are," the girl sobbed.

"Don't worry, I'm already looking for a team."

🕯️

It took another two days to collect Chat's ring, managing to slip it off his finger during a night akuma. Ladybug officially had all the Miraculi but two.

Marinette was exhausted when she went to school the next day. She was barely awake during the entirety of Bustier's class, only just managing to complete the test. Her day passed by in a haze, Madame Mendeleiev making the girl go to the nurse's office for a nap during her own test, so tired that she forgot to grab her own bag.

When the day ended, Marinette went back to Mendeleiev's class to make up for the test she missed. She had just finished when she and her teacher were called out into the hall, Principal Damocles glaring at the French-Asian girl. "One of your classmates reported that you were cheating on your tests today and stole her necklace."

Marinette stared at the Principal. "I have done no such thing."

"Then you won't mind if we check your bags and locker?"

"Go ahead." Marinette said, conscious of the fact that Tikki had decided to stay in her pocket that day. 

The principal pulled out the answer guide for Bustier's and Mendeleiev's tests, then found Lila's necklace in Marinette's locker.

Marinette faced the principal. "I didn't steal them. Madame Bustier pulled me aside before class to talk to me about this year's class trip, I left my bag in the class. Madame Mendeleiev sent me to the nurse's office before class where I stayed until the end of classes today, my bag, once again, remaining in the class. And how am I supposed to steal a necklace? Especially one that I saw the girl wearing?"

"All the proof points against you."

Mendeleiev glared at the principal. "All the evidence points to her being  _ framed _ ."

Damocles cowed under the teacher's stare, then seemed to find his strength and straightened up. "Well, it's up to her homeroom teacher. And Caline agrees with me. Her parents will be called and she will be expelled."

A feral growl ripped its way out of the science teacher's throat, but Marinette laid her hand on her arm. "It's okay, Madame. My parents know that I would never do anything like this, you know I didn't cheat, and we'll get proof that I'm innocent. Proof that can't be ignored."

🕯

Marinette was shocked when her parents did not, in fact, believe her. She asked them about it once they got home.

"Marinette… We love you, we really do, but… Mu zhí, I can't recognize you anymore. You're never home, never with your friends, you even asked me if Tom was your real father."

Marinette stared at her mother. "Maman… Maman, I wasn't saying that he's not my papa. But we had a genetics class, and I was curious because I don't have any physical traits from him. I wouldn't think less of him if he weren't my sire, in fact, I'd think more because he stood up and raised me as his own. I have never had any question as to whether or not you both love me. No, I'm not at home as often, nor do I spend a lot of time with people. But I've never spent that much time with my classmates, they avoided me as much as possible. I stay after school most of the week, sometimes I'm with Madame Mendeleiev so that I can work on my math and learn more science, and other times I'm in the art room or with the librarian so she can help me with languages. When I'm not at school, I'm usually either helping you in the bakery or doing commissions and babysitting."

"And why are you babysitting so much and doing so many commissions?" Tom asked his daughter.

"My classmates don't pay for what I do for them. Whether it's make them something special, bring them treats from the bakery, or babysit for them so that they can go on dates. I have to make up for the money lost doing all those things, which means more work for me."

Sabine turned her back to her daughter, she couldn't bear to look at her. "Well then it's fortunate for you that we're sending you to live with your father. He's taken in several troubled children over the years and helped them. I hope he can fix you, too. You're leaving Wednesday." The woman walked away, not seeing the utter devastation written across her daughter's face.

Marinette held herself together until she got to her room, refusing to let her parents see her shatter. She collapsed to the floor in her room, wondering how Lila had actually managed to turn even her own  _ parents _ against her. She had been brave in the wake of Lila's threats as she had thought her relationship with at least her family would be strong enough to hold against it, but she was wrong. Tears streamed down her face- she'd managed to avoid having them for so long that she had forgotten what an anxiety or panic attack felt like. 

She rode out the panic attack, unable to hear her kwami attempting to calm her down. She didn't notice the butterfly that or the feather, nor Hawkmoth and Mayura talking to her. She didn't even notice when they gave up and the butterfly left, pure white, along with the equally white feather. Once the panic faded enough that she could move, she stood up and began packing. It had been a while since she had dissociated, though she was grateful for the reprieve from her emotions. She didn't go down for supper that night, or breakfast the next morning, going through the night in a haze of packing. 

🕯

Madame Mendeleiev came to the bakery three days after her expulsion, not stopping to speak to the Dupain-Cheng's before ascending to Marinette's room. She was shocked to see the once lively room barren. "Hello?" She called, then watched her student drop down from the roof.

"Good afternoon, Madame Mendeleiev." Marinette's voice was soft, defeated.

"Ah, I managed to get my hands on Markov. He was recording the room all day, including the locker room. There is video proof that Mademoiselle Rossi framed you. Mademoiselle Kubdel also brought me recordings of Agreste requesting you to stay silent about her lies, as well as Rossi threatening you in the bathrooms. I downloaded the videos and was going to ask who all you wish to show them to."

"No one. My parents are sending me away, no matter what I do or say. You were right when you said I had another father. They're sending me to him."

"Surely they would listen to concrete evidence."

"Sorry, Madame, it's not just about Lila. Apparently they have a problem with me choosing school or work over frivolous relationships. They told me that they don't recognize me anymore. I tried to explain things to them, but I don't think they understood. I cannot  _ make _ them understand."

Mendeleiev felt her heart break a fraction. "Perhaps a fresh start would be good for you. François-DuPont is unable to keep up with your capabilities in academics. Perhaps a school near your father will do better." The woman pulled a slip of paper out of her lab coat and jotted down her number. "I have no plans to leave Paris. If you want to return for a time but cannot stay with your family, I would be more than happy to house you. I shall also miss our discussions. Please keep in touch."

Marinette smiled at her mentor. "I will. My mother is sending me to Gotham, I think is what she called it. It's in America."

"When are you leaving?"

"In two days time, on Wednesday."

Madame Mendeleiev skillfully suppressed and hid her slightly breaking heart. She refused to be used by Hawkmoth again, especially since Ladybug hadn't had a partner the last few akuma attacks. "Are you sure you don't at least wish to clear things up with the school before you transfer?"

Marinette considered Mendeleiev's words. "I should. I would prefer to go with a clear record."

"Very well. I have a meeting arranged with Damocles in ten minutes. Come along, we'll leave your parents here and tell Damocles that there is no point in letting your parents know that you are no longer expelled."

Marinette smiled at her favorite teacher. She wondered what her life would have been like if the secret softie had been her mother, and followed her down to the school.

Damocles was not happy to see the teacher had Marinette with her. "I thought this meeting was about one of your students?"

"Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng is one of my students. We have proof that Lila Rossi threatened and framed her."

Damocles watched the videos, wilting under the twin glares of student and teacher. "I shall call Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng's parents and let them know of the wrongful expulsion and her subsequent reinstatement."

Marinette waved her hand through the air. "Don't bother. I'm leaving France. I just wanted my record cleared before I transfer to a new school."

Damocles's expression was panicked as the girl walked out of the room, Madame Mendeleiev remaining in the office. "She can't transfer! The school board will riot!"

Madame Mendeleiev glared at the principal. "You should have thought about expelling the school's top student and her parents' reaction. They're shipping her off to live with her father." The teacher swept out of the room, her lab coat billowing like Batman's cape.

Damocles whimpered.

🕯

Two days passed quickly, quite a few people seeing her off. Rumors of her wrongful expulsion and parents kicking her out had spread across the campus like wildfire. Madame Mendeleiev, Marc, Mireille, Chloè, Nino, Aurore, Juleka, Ondine, Alix, Jean Duparc, Luka, even Kagami, who was only at the school during fencing practice, were all there to see her off. Marinette made sure to give them all a hug and a smile bye, squeezing her former teacher extra hard. 

"You have all our numbers. Keep in contact, American." Nino joked. 

Marinette smiled. "Sorry I can't babysit Chris for you anymore. But I'll hopefully still be able to do commissions, so all of you feel free to ask me for something." Marinette smiled at the four classmates that actually paid her for things, even if it wasn't much. Chloè and Alix both usually paid full price for things (or what they thought was full price, excluding Alix only contributing half the payment for the banner. She had mistakenly thought Kim would pay the other half.) and she knew Juleka and Nino didn't exactly come from the richest families. "You four will be the only people from Bustier's class to be eligible to order things from me. Not even Madame Bustier herself is allowed to order anything else from me."

Chloè tossed her hair. "As if any of our other classmates have the taste to contact you for exquisite clothing. You act as though they have a brain." 

Marinette laughed. She refused to feel sad just because her parents didn't bother to see her off. "Lila's lies have to come out at some point. I should probably thank her."

The whole group gave Marinette incredulous stares. "What? She proved to me who my real family is."

Marc shook his head, his voice soft. "She did prove to me exactly how loyal Nathaniel is."

"And that Kim can't keep his attention on one girl." Ondine interjected.

"Max is an idiot who fact checks about as well as Alya." Alix added, unwilling to let either of her friends off the hook. 

"Alya wants the best story no matter what, even at the expense of the truth and her relationships." Nino's voice was sad, he'd broken up with Alya after the way she had acted in the cafeteria.

Kagami glared at the ground as Luka took her hand. "Agreste is a coward who is not worthy of our emotional investment in him."

Juleka's hair guarded her face. "The class is cruel."

"My coworker is an idiot who deserves her teaching licence removed."

Chloè tossed her hair. "Let's not forget that Nette's parents are even more neglectful than Gabriel. Before his wife died, he was an excellent father. But he closed down after she died, he forgot how to feel. But even he always shows up to tell his son good-bye, even if it is through sending Nathalie with that ridiculous tablet."

"They're not that bad. They just can't leave the bakery unattended."

"When his wife died, Gabriel shut down his company for a month. He's shut down his entire company for every important moment in Adrien's life. He began scoping out François-DuPont for talent because his son went to school there. Your parents can't even open the bakery a little late to tell you good-bye before you leave for America for gods only know how long."

Marinette shrugged. "The bakery comes first. That's how it's always been." The girl could hardly remember a single moment her parents had put her before their business. She missed the horrified looks on her friends' faces. "Actually, the only time they put me before the business was for my thirteenth birthday, when my grandmother came for my birthday." 

Chloè hid her sadness. The girl's parents hadn't even put her first then, Chloè had paid them for the cake and sent a staff to tend to the bakery while they were gone. "As much as I loathe to admit it, we're going to miss you. You make Bustier's ridiculous morons tolerable."

Marinette stared at the heiress in shock. "That might just be the nicest thing you've ever said to me." Marinette mused, giving the blonde one last hug.

Aurore grabbed her for one more hug before she went through the flight gate. "Don't forget to be a storm, Sea Breeze. I await the moment I can change your name from Sea Breeze to Hurricane."

"I'll do my best." Marinette waved bye to her chosen family, a smile on her face. She didn't let the tears fall until she was safely above Paris, out of Hawkmoth's reach. 

🕯

She slept through the plane ride, and slowly unboarded the plane, making her way to an elderly man that held a sign with her name on it. 

"Bonjour, Monsieur. I'm Marinette."

The elderly man smiled at her. "It is nice to meet you, Miss Marinette. My name is Alfred Pennyworth. I work for your father. Please, follow me."

He led her to a limo, Marinette gaping at it. "I take it that your mother did not inform you of who your father is?"

"No, Monsieur Pennyworth. She simply told me where I was going."

He opened the back door for her. The girl placed her bags in the back, then walked forward and slid in the front seat, much to Alfred's shock. He walked around to the driver's side, climbing in himself. "Please, just call me Alfred. I suppose I should tell you about your family, then. Bruce Wayne is your father. He has adopted Richard Grayson, Jason Todd, Timothy Drake, and Cassandra Cain. He has one biological son, Damian Wayne. Master Dick is like a puppy, very hyper and cheerful. He used to be a detective in Blüdhaven, though he decided to come back here and help Master Bruce with the company a few years back. Master Jason is crude and refuses to watch his language, though he is a good person at heart. Master Tim also works at the company, and rarely sleeps. He lives off coffee, and I have failed to find all of his secret stashes. Miss Cassandra mostly goes by Cass, and does not speak much. Master Damian is only a year older than you, and has trouble connecting with people. Master Bruce is stoic, though he cares for his children. He also seems to have an obsession for children with dark hair and blue or green eyes."

Marinette blinked. "So my father is a serial adopter? Is that a thing?"

"Master Bruce made it a thing. Master Damian is at school, and Masters Bruce and Tim are both at work, though I do expect Masters Dick and Jason are both eagerly awaiting your arrival at the manor. Miss Cass is currently out of the country, though she is due to return before the end of the month."

"Thank you, Monsieur Alfred. Where will I be attending school?"

"You shall attend school with Master Damian. There will be a placement test to see what you know and where to place you, though Gotham Academy is known for its academics."

"What exactly were all of you told about me coming here? From what I have been able to gather, my father is a highly prolific man. How can you trust that my mother or I don't have an ulterior motive?"

"Your mother had a long conversation with Master Bruce, though he would only tell the others that you were more intelligent than your mother gave you credit for."

"What did he tell  _ you? _ "

"I was informed that your mother was under the belief that you were no longer the daughter she knew. She claimed that you have been struggling with lying to people and stealing from classmates. She also told us that you did not believe that Tom Dupain was your father. But Master Bruce is not a fool. He looked into your former school. He found where there was no investigation done before your expulsion, and then he received a phone call Sunday evening from your former principal. The man informed your father that evidence had come to light that you did not steal anything, and he begged your father to move to Paris so that you could continue to attend his school. Master Bruce intends to perform a DNA test once he arrives at the manor tonight. Whether you or your mother have ulterior motives or not, he does not approve of her treatment of you. If you are not, in fact, his biological daughter, he intends to begin the adoption process." Alfred detailed. He could already see his  son master in the girl. From her strikingly blue eyes to the Wayne jawline to her matter-of-fact demeanor. He could see more of Bruce Wayne in the girl than he could see of Sabine Cheng. "Might I inquire as to your interests? The others all have rooms for their hobbies, and I'm afraid that your mother did not give us very much information on you as a person."

He was shocked as to how brightly the girl lit up, and then she delved into a tangent about designing, eventually swapping over to baking and cooking. Alfred simply listened as he drove, already planning as to how to get her to stop calling him 'monsieur.' 

🕯

As soon as Marinette walked into the manor, Alfed holding the door open for her, she flipped a stocky man with white bangs over her hip and throat punched another guy that looked like an acrobat. All on instinct. She paled instantly, spewing apologies as she hauled both of them up to their feet.

"Holy f-" Alfred cleared his throat and the man with white bangs' words cut off. "-frigging guns."

"Are you both okay? Did I hurt you too bad?"

The two men blinked at her, the acrobat moving first. "I got to her first, she's my sister."

"The f-f-frick she is!  _ I _ got to her first! She flipped me before she throat punched you!" The man's scowl left as he looked at her. "Hi, Pixie Pop! I'm Jason and the son of a b-biscuit holding you is *cough*a*cough* Dick."

Alfred swapped his glare from Jason to Dick, who quickly sat her down and stepped away. "Sorry bout that! I'm just so excited to have a new sibling!"

"Since you two boys have so much energy, and Master Dick saw it fit to play hooky today, the two of you wouldn't mind carrying Miss Marinette's bags to her room for her."

The men wilted under Alfred's stare. "Which room is hers again?" Jason asked. None of them noticed Marinette had slipped out the door to grab her own bags, Alfred was too busy glaring at the two eldest sons, merely assuming that the girl walked out to get some fresh air, and the two men trying to disappear didn't notice her leave at all. Two full minutes passed before Alfred finally told them what room was set up for her. 

Alfred turned, only mildly surprised to see Marinette had her bags already. "Miss Marinette, please hand your bags to the two young masters so that you can get your room set up."

"Thank you, Monsieur Alfred." Marinette passed most of her bags to the two boys, only keeping a couple with her. The two adopted Wayne's raced each other to her room, leaving her to walk next to Alfred.

"Miss Marinette, please simply call me Alfred. No monsieur necessary."

"Only if you just call me Marinette."

Alfred sighed. The girl was Master Bruce's daughter, he knew better than anyone how stubborn she would be. Every time he called her miss, she would call him monsieur. "Very well then."

Alfred guided the girl to her room, explaining small things about the manor on the way. Marinette was tempted to ask for a string so that people would be able to find her if she got lost.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's not very long, but I wanted to get something out tonight. I've almost got a chapter done for A Cat's Instincts, The Scorned, a second part to I'll Change My Crown, and part of True Friends.

Marinette didn't meet the rest of the family until that night, having fallen asleep in her new bed almost as soon as the three men left the room. Alfred collected a hair, a little saliva, and a smidge of blood from Marinette and Bruce both before leaving the room. 

"Don't feel bad, Pixie Pop, he did a DNA test on Demon Spawn when he first got here too"

Bruce looked at his second eldest, startled. "Pixie Pop?" Damian's nickname was obvious, but where did he get pixie pop?

Jason shrugged. "Dickie bird and I competed to see which of us could claim her as a sister first. When we rushed her, we came from the side and she flipped me over her hip and punched Dick in his throat. She's really small and cute, like a pixie. Pixie Pop. Because she'll pop you in the throat."

Bruce facepalmed. "I apologise for my son. We have done our best to give him some semblance of home training, though he repeatedly proves to us how badly we failed."

Marinette waved her hands. "No, no, it's fine! I shouldn't have reacted the way I did!"

The boy with green eyes, Damian, glared at her. "Why was that your reaction?"

Marinette squirmed under everyone's gaze. "My maman taught me to defend myself when I was still little. Paris isn't exactly the safest place in the world, especially since Hawkmoth appeared. I mean, Ladybug always fixes everything, but what if she doesn't one day? And I was forced to go on a date with one of his akumas, and then there was Chat Noir sexually harassing women, and he was really reckless when he fought. I wanted to be able to protect myself in case something happened."

Damian scoffed. "You're obviously lying. Send her back where she came from, Father. We don't need yet another stray." 

"Did you say Ladybug?" Alfred asked, having just returned from testing the DNA. "Does she, perhaps, know Duusu?"

Marinette turned to Alfred. "No, she knows Tikki best, though there are a few others that she is familiar with. Hawkmoth has Nooroo and Mayura has Duusu." A secret message passed between the two, Marinette tilting her head just a little, letting the butler see her earrings before twisting her hand, bringing his gaze to the bracelet she wore. 

"I hope she manages to save them. Wayzz may be able to help?"

"He hasn't seen them since they left Tibet."

"What about the Guardian?"

"The master died during an akuma attack, the Cure did not bring him back.

Bruce watched the two miraculous holders and listened to their conversation, unable to understand what was being said, though Damian and Jason both seemed to have an idea.

"Is the box safe?" Jason asked. "Because we need to find it if it's not. We don't need that level of disaster."

"It is safe. The Guardian passed on his roll before he died. Ladybug is the new guardian, though no one knows who she is, nor what happened to Chat Noir. He hasn't been seen the last several Akuma attacks. There was concern that Hawkmoth managed to get his Miraculous, though Hawkmoth and Mayura both insist otherwise. Ladybug was considering going to Tibet since the Temple of the Order of Guardians was restored, though she was unable to due to her civilian life."

Damian scoffed. "Then Ladybug should be glad that the League of Assassins is no more." The boy muttered. He wasn't expecting the girl to overhear him, though Alfred interrupted before she should question him.

"The results for the paternity test are here. Marinette is Master Bruce's biological daughter." The family gaped at the man. "Dinner shall be done in a moment."

Marinette smiled at him. "Thank you, Alfred." She said, surprised when the oven timer beeped. Alfred bowed once, then vanished. "How did he do that?" She asked, turning to her family.

Tim actually looked conscious when she turned around, though she didn't have long to look at him before Dick had a grip on her. "Forget Alfred being a cryptid, how did you get him to call you by your name?! We've all been trying that for years!"

Marinette stared at Dick. "Umm. I asked?"

Bruce remained seated, unable to stop his eldest from harassing the poor girl, too shocked to do or say anything. Luckily Alfred reappeared a moment later, calling them to the dining room. 

🕯

Marinette settled in well over the next few days, texting the people from Paris she wished to remain in contact with from her new number. She communicated with them mainly through text due to the time zone difference. She was not ashamed to tell them about Alfred being a cryptid and how, instead of joining the Manor in asking him how he did things, asked him to teach her.

Nino, Jean, Alix, and Marc were quick to make Star Wars references and jokes, Marinette laughing even though she didn't really know what they were talking about. She told them about the students of Gotham Academy welcoming her with not-quite-open-but-open-for-Gotham arms. Chloè called her during dinner two days later. Marinette gave her family an apologetic smile before leaving the room for a moment to take the call.

"Chloè?" Marinette asked, unaware of the spying eyes. "Why are you up right now?"

"YOU'RE THE FUCKING ANGEL OF GOTHAM AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME!?!"

Marinette jerked her phone away from her ear. "Chlo, what are you talking about?"

"The world is talking about the Angel of Gotham!  _ Apparently _ Bruce Wayne has another child who is constantly giving pastries and clothes to the homeless and poor that she made herself. There's a picture of you. Your face is blurred out, and you're wearing a dress with broken wings on it. I wouldn't have thought twice about it, but it's so fucKING  _ YOU _ THAT I couldn't ignore it! Besides," Marinette swore she could hear Chloè's signature hair toss through the ringing of her ears, "I would recognize your work  _ anywhere. _ You should really check your phone, I told the chat as soon as I realized."

"Chlo. Why. Are. You. Awake?"

"Who else is going to stalk Gotham and make sure you don't get your stupid ass killed? How much do you want to bet that Lila's going to claim she's your best friend and dating your brother, but you're both just so sweet and shy that you don't want anyone to know?"

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Okay, first of all, those were butterfly styled fairy wings, not angel wings, that's a ridiculous nickname. Second of all, you know I don't make bets that I'll lose. She already tried to claim she's best friends with my pseudonym after trashing my last website."

"Our classmates are idiots to not recognize your initials. But now there are a bunch of homeless and poor people walking around in MDC's clothes. How customized are they?"

"As the Americans say, I plead the fifth."

"Good thing we're Parisians and American rights don't apply to us."

"As I am currently on American soil and getting citizenship, I do believe that they do apply to me. Go to sleep, Bee, you interrupted my dinner."

"Ohhhh! Are you still in the dining room? Can your family hear me if I scream at them for not watching you close enough?"

Marinette was appalled, and it bled into her words. "They watch me plenty close enough! I'm not positive that they aren't listening in on my conversation despite me walking away for privacy!" Marinette listened to scrambling feet, counting three sets. "Yep, listening in. Go to bed, I need ro eat. And berate my brothers for eavesdropping. Tell the others that I love you all."

"Fine! Go eat like a normal person while I live with the fact that my best friend is a billionaire's illegitimate daughter!"

"So says the mayor's daughter. Good night, Chloè."

"Urgh! Fine! Good night!" Chloè hung up, and Marinette made her way back to the dining room. 

"It's rude to eavesdrop." Marinette chastised her family. Dick and Tim refused to look at her, though Jason and Damian both looked unapologetic.

"When are you bringing your friends here, Pixie Pop?" Jason demanded.

Marinette raised her eyebrows. "Why would I bring my friends over, Jason?"

"Because I want to meet them!"

"They live in Paris, not Gotham. I doubt they'll be dropping by for a visit any time soon." Marinette didn't notice the plotting face her father had. "Besides, they're all in school, and in two different classes at that. Madame Mendeleiev would bring her students for a learning experience, though I'm not entirely sure what would get Madame Bustier to come here." She mused out loud.

Bruce waited until the subject had changed before looking at Tim. His daughter was smart, and he didn't want her catching wind of his plans before they came to fruition. "Tim, don't forget that we have some work we need to finish up after dinner." Bruce said. Tim went to ask what for when Dick stomped on his foot, obviously catching on.

Tim hissed in pain before responding, "Sure." 

Marinette felt her phone buzz in her pocket, quickly checking it to see the an akuma alert. "Excuse me." She started, "I'm full and I think I'm going to go to bed early. Busy day at school and all that." She gave Damian a hard stare, the boy simply scoffing at her.

"If you think tomorrow will be busy, I dread living with you during finals."

"Damian, be nice." Bruce scolded. "Goodnight, Marinette. Good luck at school tomorrow."

Damian forced himself to appear to be sulking. "Fine, I'm going to bed as well." Damian followed his sister to her room, watching her pull their Miraculi from her purse. She tossed him the Black Cat Miraculous before she herself transformed into Ladybug, storing several other boxes in her yo-yo. She finally grabbed the Horse Miraculous and slipped the glasses on. 

"Tikki, Kaalki, unify!" She whisper-shouted, ignoring the jade light from her brother. "Voyage!" A light pink portal opened in front of her, the siblings quickly walking through.

🕯

When they finally returned from fighting the akuma, Damian handed Marinette the ring. "What are the boxes you always bring but never use?" He asked. Marinette blinked at him, then smiled. She started pulling them out the yo-yo before detransforming.

She quickly set them out in a line on her dest before opening them, revealing several Kwami and their respective Miraculous. "These are who I usually use in a battle. Wayzz for Carapace. Longg for Ryuko, though I rarely use her as Hawkmoth knows her identity. Same for Pollen and Queen Bee. Sass for Viperion. I used to give Trixx, the fox, to Rena Rouge, but she's been permanently retired, so I don't often carry her Miraculous. And Fluff comes for Bunnyx."

Damian blinked. "Why haven't I met any of them?"

"They aren't permanent heroes, just temporary. I only call on them if I need them, and I haven't yet needed them since you and Jason have been working with me."

Damian furrowed his eyebrows. "Since when has Todd been working with you?"

Marinette shrugged. "He helps out when you're busy. You went with Arabic for Shadow- he chose the Spanish equivalent."

"No one in Paris reacts to their heroes having names in different languages?"

Marinette shrugged, "Ryuko is Japanese. Ladybug is English. They're used to it." 

"How many battles have I missed that Todd attended?"

Marinette hummed. "Probably about the same amount you've helped with. Akumas attack all the time. There have been some that I've taken care of on my own because of when they occur. I would ask Alfred for help if I had the Butterfly or the Peacock, but I refuse to put him in danger by throwing him into battle. My master died because he was the only person who could help me against Hawkmoth for that akuma. That was the battle that cost Chat Noir his Miraculous."

"Damn." Damian hissed. "You need more back up. Are you sure you don't want to bring in the rest of the family?"

Marinette eyed Damian. "I know for a fact that you and Jason had extensive training. I asked Alfred about the League of Assassins after you mentioned them my first night. What training does the rest have that would make me trust them with a Miraculous? I cannot afford to train someone from the ground up."

Damian considered her. "Forget it, you understand the need for a secret identity. Follow me." He led her out of her room, sneaking her through the house until they reached a broken grandfather clock. He quickly adjusted the hands before gesturing Marinette in. She quickly slid down, closely followed by Damian. "Computer. Turn on the lights." Damian called, lighting up the Batcave.

"Oh my kwamis." Marinette breathed. "I knew you guys were hiding something, but this… Call a family meeting down here, I'll join you in just a minute." She rushed out of the Batcave, leaving Dian to find Alfred and ask for assistance in getting their family to the cave. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... Saw my brother a few weeks ago. He asked me if I was aro ace, which I've told him about me being for the past few years, and had the gall to look at me and say that he bet I didn't know he knew what that was, and then told me that he hopes someone rapes me so that I know how good sex feels. He's a 14 year old virgin and thinks I should have married and have a kid at least in the oven since I'm 18 and was conceived when our mom was 16. Fucker. Then my car broke down last week, left me stranded on the side of the road without a working phone, had me so pissed I was crying. I'm about to learn how to change a fuel pump because that's what EVERY MECHANIC I KNOW SAYS IS WRONG WITH IT, but they want to change everything else! Then my coworker showed up to work to relieve me almost two hours late without letting me know she was late. I didn't know what had happened to her, if she was coming, if HER car broke down, she was hurt, if her son's father had died or what. 👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👿


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: the reason Marinette heard three sets of feet and not four is because Damian bugged her phone. Though he'd tell anyone who would (and did) ask that it was beneath him as a Wayne to eavesdrop on someone's private conversation.
> 
> I think I'm going to write another Bio!Dad AU, but one where there's a larger age Gap between Damian and Marinette.

Marinette beat the rest of the family to the Batcave by less than a minute. Jason was the first one down, smirking at Marinette. "So you finally figured us out, huh, Pixie Pop?" He asked, the rest of the guys filing in behind him in various stages of dress.

Bruce blinked at his daughter. "What was so important that you had to gather all of us down here on our night off?"

Marinette beamed at them. "Damian told me that I need more help. I agreed with him, but didn't know who to bring in. I don't have time to train some random new person when I'm no longer based in Paris." She babbled nonsense until Damian covered her mouth. 

"What she's trying to say is that she's Ladybug, Todd and I have been using the Black Cat Miraculous, and I learned earlier tonight that she is alone on the scene most of the time. All of her backup has to be manually retrieved by her during the fight."

Bruce narrowed his eyes. Dick lept forward. "You cannot tell me that my littlest sister has been defending an entire city on her own, regardless of whatever else she has to do, for the past few years. Nope, nope, nope, not possible. I'm gonna pin a butterfly to the wall and pluck some feathers. Kor'i likes peacocks and has been wanting some feathers."

Bruce stared at his daughter. "How have you been getting to Paris? Your powers are for creation."

Marinette refused to squirm under her father's glare. "Different Miraculi give different powers, and can be combined with each other. I use the horse to teleport."

"How did your parents never find out about this?" Dick demanded, refusing to believe the ray of sunshine that was his sister was stuck in a life like Tim's. 

Marinette shrugged. "The bakery stays busy. When your parents work from early morning to dinnertime, sometimes a little after, it's really easy to keep a secret life hidden. Especially when you've basically raised yourself, so they expect you to vanish. Besides, I used to go on evening runs a lot or need fabric at odd hours and leave."

Jason paled. "Pixie… that's not good. I mean, I knew things weren't the best since they sent you  _ here _ , but… Fucking shit. Why didn't you tell us this?"

A dark aura was emitting from her family. She didn't understand what was wrong. "What? It's normal, isn't it? I mean, Chloè had Jean Paul to look after her, but I though that that was just because her father could afford it."

Dick let out a strangled sound. "No. It's not normal." Bruce furiously attempted to reign in his emotions, his voice nearly a growl when he spoke. "How long have you been Ladybug, again? And what help did you have?"

"I've been Ladybug since the beginning. I had backup for the first couple months, but then Chat Noir started to realize that I wasn't going to date him, no matter what he did. I started recruiting temporary heroes for help, depending on what was needed at the time. I lost my usual backup due to Miracle Queen revealing their identities. I didn't have any safe back up after her until I came here, as I reclaimed Chat Noir's Miraculous after Miracle Queen. I can still call on my temps, but I'm careful about it. Bunnyx hasn't been needed yet, though I have gone back to Carapace and Ryuko a few times. Hawkmoth didn't seem to know what Miraculous they used during Miracle Queen since I used the Dragon and my Master had the Turtle at the time. Carapace's identity is the best hidden, excluding my own, of course. Until tonight. Though I believe I have discovered how to change a user's costume, so I may be able to call upon my previous temps again. "

"Is there anyone you would trust to be a permanent holder?" Tim questioned.

"Queen Bee. Ryuko. Carapace. Viperion. Bunnyx. They'll all change their name and appearance so that no one knows who they are."

"Except you."

"Except me. As the Guardian of the Miracle Box, I know who all the Miraculous wielders are, exempting Hawkmoth and Mayura, of course. I have to. If you are willing, I would appreciate assistance from all of you in my fight." Damian and Jason quickly agreed, followed by the rest of the family. 

"I'll call Cass back early, she'll want to be involved as well." Marinette had managed to strike up a surprisingly strong relationship with the other girl over the video calls they had shared.

"Damian, you will use the Horse Miraculous. Jason, you will continue with the Black Cat. Dick, the Monkey Miraculous. Tim, Mouse. Dad, Ox." Her brows furrowed at his shocked look. "What is it?"

Bruce quickly straightened out his expression, pushing down the sheer joy that spread throughout his being. "Nothing." He would never admit just how long he'd waited for one of his kids to call him "Dad." Yes, Damian called him Father. But Bruce was certain that that was simply to remind his siblings that he was his biological child rather than any real desire to acknowledge his position. Especially since he called his mother Talia.

"O-kay?" Marinette said. "Cass can have the Tiger. I think I might actually bring the others here so that we can all practice. It may even help for us to know each other's identities."

Jason furrowed his eyes. "Can you not bring them here to train without them figuring it out?"

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, because Ladybug just suddenly decided to train the Miraculous Team in Gotham with the Batfam, which is coincidentally where Marinette moved to, and there just so happens to be the exact same amount of vigilantes as she has family members? I don't think so. They aren't that stupid."

"Don't teleport them here." Tim cautioned. "They'll be here soon enough."

Marinette narrowed her eyes at her brother. "What did you do?" She demanded.

Tim threw his hands up, "Nothing! I didn't do anything!"

Marinette swung her gaze to Bruce. " **_DAd?_ ** "

Bruce would deny the shiver that trailed down his spine until the day he died. "It wasn't me." He swore. It wasn't. He and Tim made Dick type everything up and email the appropriate people. They directed every word, yes, but they didn't physically touch the computer while Dick was typing. Tim was too paranoid about Marinette finding out to let the obvious people do it. For good reason, apparently. "Neither Tim nor myself contacted your school about visiting here." Marinette, forgetting the fact that  _ Dick _ was the one that worked human resources, accepted his claims. For now. When Madame Mendeleiev and she next spoke could easily change her stance.

🕯

When Marinette finally ascended back to the main part of the house, Bruce kept his sons in the cave to interigate them. "Damian, Jason, how long have you known about her?"

Jason smirked at the old man. "You mean you couldn't figure it out from how much she knew about Ladybug her first night here?"

Tim took a sip of his not-coffee. Anyone that told Marientte what happened to her special brew for energy would die a horrible death and they all knew it. "To be fair to myself not figuring her out, I was almost asleep until Alfred addressed her by name. Bruce was just confused the whole time. And Dick was secretly messaging Kor'i about wedding plans."

"Shut up, Tim!" Dick screeched. "Keep your eyes off my phone!"

"I didn't have to see your phone. I made an educated guess that you confirmed."

"I was pissed when I realized what she and Alfred were talking about. She's just a kid that got shoved into a life she didn't ask for. Keep your fucking mouth shut, you second-rate replacement, we all begged Bruce to let us fight with him. From what little Marinette's told me, she was forced to be a hero. It wasn't something she wanted to do. She tried to give it up, but she was unable to due to unforeseen circumstances. She won't talk to or about most of her classmates or former heroes, even when they're right there in front of her. She shuts down any time anyone outside of her known friend group tries to interact with her, her entire personality freezing them."

Damian nodded in agreement. " _ My _ sister," he emphasized, tired of his siblings trying to steal his spot as favorite brother, "hasn't revealed much to me, either. Though I have noticed that she avoids her former home and school as much as possible. Her parents, former homeroom teacher, and the tabloid blogger are the main people she goes to any length necessary to avoid. She informed me that, when she first became a hero, she tried to pass the mantle onto someone else as she believed herself incapable and ill-fitted to the job. She also swears that luck kept her from giving her Miraculous up as it trapped the girl she chose under a car."

Bruce's eyes narrowed. He had thought Marinette would be a child he  _ didn't  _ have to have the No Killing talk with. "How is that lucky?"

"Because her choice was the tabloidist, before she revealed her true colors. This was back during the first akuma battle, when Marinette was still friends with all except a couple students in her class."

Dick lightly punched Damian in the arm. "Why do you call our sister by her first name and not us, huh? You actually call her Marinette instead of Dupain-Cheng."

Damian stared blandly at his eldest brother. "Marinette is a Wayne. Not a Dupain-Cheng. And she is my partner when we go to Paris. She is the only vigilante or hero in this house besides Father that did not follow in someone else's footsteps. Grayson, you were taken in by Father and became Batman when he was unable to. No objections allowed from you." His eldest brother deflated.

Bruce sighed. "There's a reason Marinette's avoiding all except a small group of Parisians. I don't know the whole story, only what her mother claimed."

Tim looked up at his dad, fingers never stopping as he typed on the computer's keyboard. "What her mother  _ claimed? _ " The boy's voice was by far the darkest in the room. He had finally accepted that what his parents were doing was abuse. He was lucky enough that Bruce snagged him before he died. Now to learn that his sister went through something similar? That she may have went through much more without anyone to rely on? He was ready for war.

"An old fling of mine called a few days before Marinette arrived. She informed me of how she had gotten pregnant during our fling and fell in love and married a man when our daughter was almost a year old. She said that she could barely recognize the child, that she doubted the husband being her sire, she was lying, stealing, and bullying her classmates, that she was never home anymore. She asked me to take the girl under my wing and straighten her out. I was skeptical, but agreed. Even if the girl wasn't mine, I doubt her parents would have very many problems with signing adoption papers." Bruce stopped speaking at the click of a gun, looking to see Jason and  _ Tim _ both holding the weapons.

"Continue on." Jason urged, twirling his gun. (Tim's was the one that clicked, his was uncocked, safety on, first chamber empty. Though Bruce didn't need to know that.)

Bruce eyed his middle two sons before continuing his story. "Marinette was expelled from school. I looked into it, of course. No proof was provided to back up the claims of her being a thief, liar, or bully. Just accusations from an ambassador's daughter and easily planted evidence. I checked security cameras. Marinette wasn't in either class to be able to steal the test answer guide she'd been accused of taking, and she left her bag in the second room. There were cameras in the locker room that showed a girl taking a necklace off before placing it in Marinette's locker."

**_"Princess Diana was killed."_ **

"I found footage of the only time Marinette was alone with Lila Rossi." Tim said, the family gathering around the computer. He rewound the footage, starting back at the beginning.

**_"You're Marinette, right? I'm afraid we got off on the wrong foot. I mean, it was wrong of me to tell the others that I was inviting you when I wasn't, but I simply thought you were too busy to hang out with us!" The girl gave a sickly sweet grin and held her hand out to Marinette._ **

**_Marinette stared blankly at her. "I am not a fool. You lied multiple times about a multitude of things. Fool me once, shame on you. You haven't managed to fool me even once yet. But there is shame on my classmates for constantly being fooled by your lies."_ **

**_Lila Rossi's smile contorted into a snarl. "If you aren't with me, then you're obviously against me. And that means I'll have to take everything away from you. Your friends, your little designing hobby… I wonder how hard it will be to turn your parents against you?"_ **

**_Marinette continued to stare at the girl, expression unchanged. "If you turn my so-called friends against me, that means they aren't my friends, never were in the first place. I was alone before Alya moved here, I've been waiting on everyone to abandon me again. Good luck with taking designing away from me. I have a backup career, of course, and I can always continue to design my own clothes. If my parents turn against me, then they don't know me as well as I thought they did."_ **

**_Lila glared at their sibling/daughter. "Surely you don't want to be all on your own?"_ **

**_"It hasn't bothered me since I was four, I don't know why it would begin to bother me now."_ **

**_"This school calls you a princess. Princess Diana was killed."_ **

**_"Darling, this isn't a fairytale. I'm no helpless princess, and you aren't a fierce dragon. I have no knight in shining armor coming my way." Marinette bowed her head to the other girl before sweeping out of the bathroom._ **

"All of this is readily available to the school and they still expelled Marinette?" Dick demanded, his temper rapidly fraying.

"She was reinstated two days before she left Paris." Tim's hands flew over the keys, pulling up footage from the principal's office before any of his brothers could really focus on the fact that she had basically been on her own since she was four. They watched as the man tried to argue with the teacher about the meeting because of the topic before the woman showed him several videos on her phone. They were all able to guess that it was some kind of hard core proof that the girl didn't do what she was accused of. They listened to the man beg the girl to stay at the school, then before he could beg the teacher to convince her after Marinette left, the woman viciously shut him down.

"I like her." Jason remarked.

"The principal called me after this. Begged me to move to Paris so that Marinette would continue to go to school there." Bruce commented. "He would have needed to call her parents to get into contact with me. Did he not tell them the reason for calling, or did they just not care?"

"I doubt they cared." Jason sniped.

Damian gripped his sword. "What is the address of the cockalorum that dared threaten my sister's life?"

"Not giving it to you." Tim muttered. " _ I'm _ dealing with the situation in Paris with Jason as back up."

🕯

Alfred bit out a vicous curse the next morning when he walked into the kitchen to see breakfast already prepared. Either Jason had slipped by him again and refused to sleep and used the kitchen for bored experiments, meaning the food may or may not be safe to eat (especially when factoring his mood from the night before. He could possibly want to kill the world or wish to feed Marinette), or Marinette had woken before him just so she could finally steal the room for cooking. Most of the pastries were themed after the family. Bats, birds, some that looked like bullets and a computer, little ladybugs, spy-themed, magnifying glass shapes, all kinds of things. And coffee was made and Marinette's specialty drink placed in the fridge. So Marinette it was.

Alfred went to gather the rest of the household, unsurprised to see Cassandra's door open, signifying she had finished the mission early and came home- via the Zeta beams. 

The family shuffled into the dining room, Alfred carting out the meal Marinette prepared. Tim slipped around him, checking the fridge for more energy. He liked Marinette's secret recipes much more than regular coffee. They gave much more of an energy boost.

Ten minutes later, Marinette walked in to see the family dining while Tim was passed out beside his plate. She briefly wondered who moved it out of his way because her Drought of the Dead gave the drinker no time to prepare for the sleep attack. "Good morning, everyone." She greeted, moving to sit beside Damian. She had had a very successful morning in her design room and was overjoyed to see Cass had finally gotten there. 

"Good morning,  _ Miss _ Marinette." Alfred sniped, still bitter over the girl finally managing to steal his kitchen.

"Good morning,  _ Monsieur _ Alfred." Marinette fired back. "I take it everyone slept well last night?"

Dick eyed his second brother. "Not everyone."

Marinette reached across the table, grabbing his cup and sniffing it. "Nah, he's not sleeping from staying up all night. I have a special brew I make for when I've gone five days without sleep that'll knock me out. I noticed someone drinking my specialty brews, which they should ask to make sure it's safe in their current state, so I left my Draught of the Dead I the fridge to catch them."

Bruce eyed his youngest child. "He literally took one small sip and Dick had to grab his plate."

Marinette shrugged. "I said they had to be monitored. I'm always improving them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter actually came out so soon in an answer to some questions I got, they know who they are! I answered all except for a few, simply because those will be covered in future chapters! ;)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is shorter than my usual ones for this fic, but I've been struggling with it for a while and this is as far as this chapter is going to go. Hopefully the next one will be longer. ^u^ But! Felix finally appears! So happy times! Our gremlins can finally ChAoS!!!

Marinette enjoyed school at Gotham Academy, she really did. She did not, however, have sufficient time to prepare herself for the chaos that could be caused by the fact that Felix Graham de Vanily was not, in fact, living in London and was due back to school. She glared at the boy she was supposed to be working with on the group project. "Why are you here?"

Felix let out a long suffering sigh. They had already covered this, multiple times, in fact. He noticably didn't have the English accent when he spoke, "For the last time, I don't live in London. I lied. I haven't lived there since I was a child. I did not want my cousin or my uncle to attempt to track my mother and I down once we left Paris with the rings. I've lived in Gotham for the past four years. Ask your brother if you refuse to believe me."

"He said he doesn't know you."

"Then ask the teachers!" Felix exclaimed, exasperated. "And I've worked with your brother on several projects. Ask Alfred, for godsake!"

"... He knows you. Why did you choose to sit next to me? And where have you been?"

Felix rolled his eyes, not noticing the victorious grin on Marinette's face. "I was in New York. My mother had some problems with the buisness that she had to take care of. And I sat here because this is my seat. Any other questions?"

"Plenty. Wanna hear them?"

"Please God no. If you ask me any more questions I'm going to start calling you Dear."

Marinette narrowed her eyes, "Is that a  _ challenge? _ "

"You know what? Yes, yes it is."

"What problems did your mother have that she had to go personally and take you with her? Why were you so focused on getting that one ring? Will you teach me how to be better at snagging things? I'm really only good at getting phones and camera cards. And rings, but we don't talk about that. Why did you move to Gotham if your mother's business is in New York?" Felix slammed his head against the desk, Marinette sending a quick picture of it to Jason and Damian with the caption,  **_I win._ **

The two had bet her two hundred bucks that she couldn't get well under Felix's skin within the first day of him returning to school. She had known he was coming, of course, as Damian was very enthusiastic in telling her about his friendly-not-friends-friends. Felix, however, had not been expecting to deal with the strange girl that barely said two words to him while he was in Paris.

"Fine,  _ Dear _ ," Felix nearly growled. "Where are we working on this project at?"

Marinette shrugged. "I don't care. Your home, mine, a coffee shop, anywhere works for me." She gave up the pretense of the questioning enemy, relaxing back into her seat. "Though I'd prefer to use one of our homes due to a burning desire to not be held for ransom today."

"Your residence, then. My mother will want to meet you, and so it will be more efficient to do our project in a location where no one will be fawning over one of us."

By the time school ended and the children were all headed back to the manor, Damian refused to stop glaring at Felix. He continued to stare the boy down as he handed Marinette his half of the two hundred dollars.

Felix was Confused™ by the exchange. Marinette took pity on him. "Jason and Damian bet me two hundred dollars that I couldn't get under your skin today. However, I'm very good at knowing what makes people tick."

"You made a bet. On how well you could annoy me." Felix decided then and there that he didn't know if he adored or despised the newest Wayne. "How did Bruce Wayne aquire you? I don't believe you told me how you yourself came to take up residence here." Felix was on high alert, especially with the  **_DEATH_ ** vibes rolling off of Damian. "Last I knew, you were the top student in all of France."

Marinette casually shrugged. She still didn't understand what was upsetting her family. Maybe it was talking about her old life? Were they upset that they weren't there for it? "Bruce Wayne is my biological father. Tom Dupain adopted me when he married my mother when I was a year old. I didn't know who my father was until recently, though I'd suspected for a while that my papa wasn't my biological father. They are under the impression that I am causing problems in Paris, so they sent me here in hopes that Dad could fix me." The three students walked down the hall, Damian slightly ahead of the other two.

Felix looked down at Marinette. "They sent you away? Without giving you a choice? Why didn't they try to do something themselves?"

"Because they are mooncalves!" Damian exploded, movements becoming pronounced and jagged. "They have not cared for her since she was a mere child! Four years old and they expected her to care for herself! And then they send her away at the first hint of trouble all because they did not appreciate her brilliance! She chose academics, self defense, and work over friendships and rightfully questioned her paternity! They chose to be insulted by her intelligence rather than proud of her observational skills! They chose to believe in that cockalorum over their own child!"

Marinette frowned. "Is it not normal for parents to leave their kids alone? Most rich parents I've met are over protective, but they have to worry about what someone will do to their children because of them."

Felix was aghast. "You wanted to know why my mother took me to New York with her, yes?"

"Yes? I mean, I assume it's because she wanted to teach you what to do for the company."

"No, not at all. I travel on the longer trips with my mother so that she knows I am safe and taken care of. She would like for me to one day take over, but right now she just wants me to do what makes me happy. Just as you did not wish to study in a coffee shop due to the dangers to your person, my mother chooses to bring me on longer trips due to potential damage to my person."

Marinette blinked owlishly at the two boys. "That's amazing. I didn't realize parents actually do things like that anywhere but in the movies." The trio silently loaded up into the car Alfred had waiting on them, settling in. 

Felix watched the girl out the corner of his eye. How could anyone not realize that parents were supposed to take care of their children?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have Discord now! _wiggles_ It's random and chaotic as hell, but I love it. 
> 
> https://discord.gg/6wqQMfT


End file.
